Shoe.



M. C. SCHMIDT.

SHOE.

APPLICATION FILED Ammo. 19x5.

Patented Nov. 12, 1918.

' illi lh lftjllilo eilZiWDilB-T, F TAGQMA. WASHING-TON.

siren.

Specification of Letters latent.

Patented Nov 12., 1918.

Application filed August 3t), 1918. Serial No. 11?,569.

To aZZ whom it may concern Be it known that l, fiLlA'lTHIAS C. Scrnrmr, a citizen of the United States, residing at Tacoma, in the county of Pierce, State of lv ashington, have invented certain newnnd useful Improvements in Shoes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to shoes and especially to the form, proportion and shape of the sole and heel.

The objects of this invention are to provide a shoe which will prevent the arch of' the foot from being broken down; to relieve a person whose arch is broken; to permit the gradual reestablishnient. of an arch after it has been broken; and to establish an arch in a flat foot. A further object is to accomplish these results without adding to the weight or complexity of the shoe and to "ender the shoe more flexible and therefore easier on the foot.

1 attain these and other objects by the devices, forms and arrangements illustrated in the accompanying drawings. in which Figure 1' is a section of my improved shoe, showing a foot therein and showing the foot bones within the foot, the shoe being in the position in which itis suspended or is just touching the ground with all weight rei moved therefrom;

Fig; 2 is a similar view showing it in corresponding position when weight is applied to the foot;

Big. 3 is a side elevation of the same shoe;

if 1g. l is a side elevation of a slight variation thereof, the heel being undercut to further degree;

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a second varia' tion thereof, the heel being low; and

Fig. 6 is a view, similar to Fi :2, showing a shoe such as is in common use and illustrating'its tendency to break the arch.

Similar letters and numerals of reference refer to similar parts throughout the several views,

a: anal shape is The, cause of a broken arch in a foot of transmitted through the arch to the heel and to the toes. It is evident that in these circumstances the lower portions of the oints of the bones of the arch have to be held against separation by the tension of the ligaments, as indicated by the opposed arrowheads in the drawing, and that in case of an'overstrain or an inherentweakness the said ligaments will give way and the arch is lowered and broken. When this condition once occurs it largely destroys the Use of the foot and occasions intense pain; further the weight of the body then comes on that unsupported part of the shoe in front of the heel with the result that the foot slips forward and the strain is still further increased bywthe relative withdrawal of the shoe heel from the line of strain.

New; examining the form of the sole and heel. of such an ordinary shoe it will be ob served that two conditions are always pres ent :first, the line of the lower surface of the heel is in the same plane as the lowest point of the sole, so that when the shoe ison the ground (with or without weight therein) the sole touches and the heel engages the ground along its entire length; and second, the heel is placed at the extreme rear edge of the shoe and does not extend forward more than of the length of the shoe. One effect of the first mentioned condition is to deprive the shoe of all springiness as its form is notchanged when pressure is applied to it or is removed therefrom.

Referring now to the other figures of the drawing especially to Figs. 1 and 2, it will be seen that my improved shoe varies from the common shoe in each of the above features. First, the plane of the lower surface of the heel lies below the lowest point of the sole, so that if the heel is in entire contact with the ground and there is no weight in the shoe (Figs. 3 and 4) the sole is raised off the ground, but so that when pressure is applied to the foot the toe part of the sole is lowered into contact with the ground 2). The result of this arrangement is that when the toes are brought down the front of the heel is relatively raised thus producing a pressure on the inste waid motion of' the toe must bend the unsupported part of the sole in front of the It will also-be noted that this downheel soythai'", when pressure is thus applied .in Fig. 1 in which to the foot this part has a sharper bend in it than when it is unstrainecl. The effect of this is to extend forward that portion of the shoe on which the foot contacts (Fig. 2,) and distib'ute the; said weight: or pres sure over a larger of the foot and thus somewhat reduce the intensity of the pressure at any one point. if the shoe has no pressure in it, it assumes a position shown the shoe contacis with the ground along the front edge of the heel and i'ihe lowest point of "the sole out, when pressure is applied thereto, the rear of the heel and front of blue ice pass downward into the positions shown in'Fig. 2, the heel of the fool sending to slide rearward; as indicated by the arrow on the heel bone in Fig. l and the front part of the shoe heel pressing up under the instep.

Saecond, the heel of rny improved shoe is pushed forward unit-ii. its front line is positioned about to 35% of the length of the shoe forward of the back line thereof, and the rear of the heel 'is undercut from the rear of the sole so that in rnans shoe its rearlnost. point on its under surface is from 20% "so of the heel. lengih forward of said back line, the proper amount of said undercut depending on the degree of breakdown ofthe arch; and in a ladys shoe the said amount of undercut may be increased for appearances, the front line of the heel remaining in the position indicated above.

The efiect of this arrangement is two fold, first, the frontof the heel is brought forward of the line of strain from the'leg; and second, undercutting the rear oft-he heel brings the supporting surface only un der the bones of the foob inszcadof extending well to the rear is usual.

Now, when the eifect of the forwardpushed heel is combined with the effect of the difference between the planes of the heel and sole, as above pointed out, we produce a condition which brings an upward pres sure on the sole of the foot at a point forward of the angle when the weight ap plied thereto (Fig. 2) and this pressure tends both to hold the heel in l'hc rear of (he shoe and also to re ic the bones of 'l'he arch between the angle and toe, thus relieving the lower ll3f5illlc31l3 ol all. tension and, if anything. causing: a tension in the nope ligaments. as illusirated by rue. on posed arrow-heads iu the said Fig. 2. Then. since the arch relatively raised by the pressure. he leg muscles pull up on the bones of the arch and thus the defective arch. whether a broken normal arch or a natural deformed arch or fiat foot, is gradually repaired and becomes normal, or nearly so.

In carrying out the foregoing principles ing messes l have developed certain variations which may be made in the depth of the heel and in the extent of the rear undercut. lin Figs. 1, 2 and 3 is shown the standard form of my improved shoe, suitable for ordinary cases of strained arch, in which the front line C of the heel-1 is forward of she rear line A of the shoe a distance equal to onethird of the distance between the line A and the front line E of the shoe. Also, the

lowest point D of the sole 2 is posit-ioneci' about onethird of. the height of the heel above the plane of the heel.

Also, the back line B of the-heel is undercut forward of the line A. about one-fourth of the distance between the lines C and A. Y 1 Q In Fig. l; the shoe is varied cniigl y changthe undercut line B to one-third of the distance between the lines G andA. This shoe is adapted to down broken and fiatfoooed insteps. i Y 1 In .5 the shoe is varied from that shown in Fig. 3 in that'the heel is lower and is slightly shicker atits front line F than at the rear, thus inclining it downwardrela-- tively to the line of the sole over the heel. In this case the rear of the heel and thelowest point of the sole are in a plane substantially parallel with that of the sole over the heel but the front of the heel is slightly lower than said plane. In this'case'the rear line G of the heel is undercut one-fifth ofthe distance between the lines F and A.

is evident from the foregoing descrip tion that the two points on which I lay particular stress are, first, the location of the icofront of the heel forward of the ankle or about one-third of the shoe length forward of the rear thereof; and second, the plane 01" the heel lying below the lowest point of the unstrained sole so as to produce an upward vpressure under the arch. The other features admit of variation to-suil; particularcases and conditions, namely the heel may be varied in thickness and ,the ore tent of the undercut portion may be varied.

Having described my intention, what 1' claim is:

' 1. A shoe, having every point throughout the extent of its sole disposed wholly above the plane of the lower face of "the heel when said shoe is placed with its heel in contact throughout its extent with a horizontal surface andthe shoe is relieved of all extraneous weight and strain.

ill)

shoe, having the fronli'line of the heel forward of the line of leg pressure, and the plane oi? the lower surface of the heel upwardly v and rearwardly inclined, when the shoe is placed on a horizontal surface with the forward end of the heel and the middle portion of the sole in contactwith saids'ur-j face. the shoe being relieved of extraneous weight and strain.

3. A shoe having a sole and a heel, the

plane of the lower surface of the heel lying below the lowest point in the unstrained sole; and the front contact line of Copies 01 this patentvmay be obtained to mseeee below the lowest point in the I unstrained sole; the front Contact line of the heel lying wholly substantially one-third of the shoe 10 length forward of the rear of the shoe; and

the rear of said heel being materially undep' out.

MATTHIAS C. SCDT;

r five cents each, by addressing the ilommisaione'r' 0E lretente, I

Washington, D. 0."

the heel 

